ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Transcription

1 Village of Hall and District Progress Association Inc ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ANZAC exhibition area top Hall primary school building, 8pm Thursday 20 August Welcome 8-30pm. AGENDA 2. Apologies. Alan Monahan, Marg Monahan, Alan Boyd, Dean Crowe, Allyson Wedrat, Garie Greenwood, Alastair Crombie. 3. Confirmation of minutes of the previous AGM August Motion to accept Phil Robson, second Peter Howard. Accepted. 4. President s Report. David Hazlehurst spoke to tabled report (attached). Motion to accept, Hugh Watson, second Mellissa Rich. Accepted. 5. Treasurer s Report. Financial statements tabled (attached). Main accounts now rolled into new Xero system, affiliates to follow. Will streamline finance processes. VHDPA investment account stands at $47,000. To be retained pending resolution of the future of the School site. Consideration will then be given to dispersing some of these funds to projects meeting the Association s objects, with the approach to this and the level of retained funds to be put to the membership. Noted that Hall Ball had raised around $15,000 over the previous two years. And that following a one year break consideration should be given to its return in 2016.

2 Pavilion bookings are solid income growth with potential to again review rental rates. Motion to accept Sam Steggle, second Gavin Mansfield. Accepted. 6. Appointment of Auditor. Motion that John Howlett be retained as VHDPA Auditor put Bob Richardson, second Peter Howard. Accepted. 7. Election of Office Bearers. Nominees were elected unopposed: President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Returning Officer (Public Officer) David Hazlehurst Tony Morris Brenton Philp Rod Barnes Gavin Mansfield Committee members: Leigh Crocker Bob Richardson Allyson Wedrat Peter Howard Jenny Berent Phil Robson Barry Huckstepp 8. General business. Position agreed at the public community meeting at 7pm, 20 August, noted. The Committee will progress with engagement of the ACT Government. 9. Meeting closed 9.30 pm. Sect. Bob Richardson. VHDPA. Next Meeting 3 Wed. Sept 2015.

3 Village of Hall and District Progress Association Inc. PRESIDENT S REPORT TO THE 2015 AGM 20 August 2015 It s been another busy 12 months for the Progress Association which continues to advance the interests of the residents of Hall Village the District and to provide an umbrella for a rich range of community activities and groups. Future of the Hall Primary School site As detailed in the Consultation Paper considered at the public meeting held in conjunction with this AGM, the School site remained a focus for the Committee. We sought to implement the plan presented to the community and then to last year s AGM for negotiation of tenure on the site. Progress has been slow. The transfer of responsibility for the site from the Community Services Directorate to the ACT Property Group in the Economic Development Directorate, and the subsequent review of the portfolio conducted by the ACT Property Group, resulted in us waiting until May to get further guidance from the Chief Minister on the Government s position. Subject to the outcomes of further community consultation, the views of the Association s members and the deliberations of the new Committee, the Association will seek to negotiate an agreement for community occupancy and control of the site on a cost neutral basis. This would see the Association needing to meet our share of the outgoings and other costs through income generated on the site and through our other activities (in particular the hiring out of the Hall Pavilion). We also continue to work with the Rotary Club of Hall on a potential partnership. A big thanks to the joint working group of Tony Morris, Jo Hall, Rod Barnes, Bob Richardson and John Kenworthy and Ralph Southwell from Hall Rotary, for their work on this. See Consultation Paper for further details. Groups operating under the umbrella of the Association As noted in my report last year, one of the special things about Hall and the District is the way people participate in community life. The Friends of the Museum, the Rural Fringe, hall.act.au, the Men s Shed and the Collector s Club, all operating under the auspices of the Association, are expressions of that participation. They are the life of the Progress and the commitment and enthusiasm of community members has seen them all go from strength to strength over the past twelve months. The details of their achievements are outlined in their separate reports. A special mention for Phil Robson for another outstanding year leading the charge on the School Museum and Heritage Centre.

4 School bus interchange Progress was made on improving safety of the school bus interchange operating in the mornings and afternoons on Victoria and Gladstone Streets. The interchange provides significant benefits to Hall. It benefits Hall residents who would otherwise be left without a school bus service for their children. It also benefits Hall businesses. However, growth of the population serviced by the interchange (between Hall and Yass and surrounds) means the volume of buses and children had made the Gladstone Street site unsafe. These issues have been considered by the Association from time to time over at least the past 10 years. Many options have been considered and approaches made to the ACT Government. Following consultation with the community and with the Association, ACT Roads have commenced work on some immediate improvements simplification of signage, reduced speed limits, and a traffic island for pedestrians. However, the Association also conveyed to ACT Roads that given the expected further growth in buses and children using the interchange, these improvements were only a short term fix and planning and consultation should begin on a long term solution. A big thanks to Peter Howard, Barry Huckstepp, Dean Crowe and the residents of Gladstone Street for their work on this important issue. Other activities and support Some examples... A partnership between the Hall Collectors Club and Hall Rotary to become the custodians of the innocuous 25 pounder gun now installed in the Hall Memorial Grove. Repair of seating at the Hall Showground by the Men s Shed in time for the 2015 Sheepdog Trial ($2647 for materials secured from Sport & Rec.) Allocation of $3500 (approximately half) of the 2014 Hall Ball net proceeds to the Hall Rural Fire Brigade, and a further contribution of $2500 towards the Brigade s fire engine restoration project. A $2500 contribution to the Wallaroo fire brigade upgrading of training room floor coverings, a new kitchen, and disabled shower/toilet. $1500 for new computers/mobile devices for the Computer s for Seniors program operating out the Headmaster s Cottage. Administration The Committee held eight formal meetings, several informal gatherings and many exchanges over the year. Thanks to all members of the Committee for their energy, thoughtfulness and humour. A special thank you to Bob Richardson for his tireless work as Secretary from meeting organisation and record keeping, to consultation within the community, to mobilisation of volunteers, and engagement of stakeholders within the government and across other community groups. And to Vice President, Tony Morris, who not only continued his extraordinary contributions across the community, but was a great source of corporate memory, wisdom and support to me as President.

5 The finances of the Association remain sound (see Treasurer s report). A big thanks to Rod Barnes as Treasurer. Rod has transitioned our accounts over to the Xero software package which will automate much of the flows of funds and reconciliations between the accounts of the Association itself and the various groups under the Progress umbrella. The Hall Pavilion remains the major source of revenue. Thanks to Tony Morris and Rod Barnes for undertaking an overhaul of hiring processes, the fee structure, involving modest increases, and the replacement of most of the furniture. And a big thanks to Tony and Margaret Morris, Rod and Phil Robson for ongoing management of everything to do with the Pavilion, from bookings to cleaning. Weekends at the Pavilion are almost booked out till Christmas. Work will need to continue to further streamline and put on a sustainable footing the administration of the Pavilion, as well as to secure a long term license for control and management of the Pavilion from the Government. David Hazlehurst President

6 FRIENDS OF HALL SCHOOL MUSEUM REPORT FOR FINANCIAL YEAR Introduction Another very active and interesting (financial) year has come to an end. However, this is just another step in the progression of the Hall School Museum into a more permanent fixture on the ACT landscape. Moves to firmly establish the Hall School site for use by the Hall community have taken place and will be hopefully finalised in the new financial year. This proposal includes the museum retaining the buildings it currently occupies on a more permanent basis. Another busy year for the museum volunteers who have worked on the continued conservation and maintenance of the museum s collection. They have also created and staged another successful exhibition attracting hundreds of visitors and positive media coverage. Membership Membership of the team of museum volunteers has grown slowly throughout the year. The skills of the team of volunteers has been enhanced with the addition of Cheryl May, Jenny Clynk and Vicki Coleman. Website The Museum webpages continue to be another valuable source of information sharing. A great deal of work has been done on expanding the Bush Schools database and additional pages will be developed to house the large amount of information and photos relating to the When Hall Answered the Call Anzac project this year. Hall School Building Work has been completed on the ceiling with the removal of accumulated dirt and detritus from the ceiling, installation of insulation and repairs and replacement of guttering and downpipes. The electrical wiring in the ceiling space has also been replaced with new wiring. The walls and the sub-floor areas are also undergoing repairs and will be completed in August. The Museum was successful in a ACT Heritage Grant programme to cover the cost of this work. Grants This financial year the Museum has been successful in obtaining Grants and financial support for the activities of the Museum and for special exhibitions and projects: ACT Heritage Grant: Building Restoration - $11515 Federal Department of Veterans Affairs Anzac Commemorative Grant When Hall Answered the Call Exhibition $5250 Anzac Commemorative Grant - Restoration of the Red Cross Peace Tree and establishment of a Peace Garden and up-grading of the Hall Village Memorial Grove - $4000.

7 Grant Applications There are also a number of Grant applications also under current consideration: ACT Heritage Grant: Hall School Museum Assessment, Conservation and Accessioning of the Lyall Gillespie Collection - $9,500 National Library of Australia Community Heritage Grants Disaster Management Planning - $3300 Exhibitions As a contribution to the Canberra & Region Heritage Festival and the Centenary of Anzac commemorations 2015, the Museum staged an exhibition entitled When Hall Answered the Call. The exhibition was created to highlight the stories of the men from the district who volunteered for service in WW1 and the support given by the Hall community to these men. The exhibition attracted several hundred visitors who appreciated the various themed displays, the unique collection of family mementos of the conflict, the video presentation, the re-creation of the Welcome Home celebrations and the old schoolroom set up to show the activities of the schoolchildren during the war. As a result of the popularity of the exhibition, a publication detailing the information and photographs displayed in the exhibition is being produced by Allen Mawer and will be available on sale later in the year. Other Activities Lyall Gillespie Collection: Neil Gillespie donated to the Museum the entire collection of his late father Lyall s research papers, books, artefacts, photographs and reference index cards. It is planned that the many thousands of items relating to the history of the ACT region from indigenous occupation to the 20 th century will undergo listing, conservation and accessioning and will be made available for public viewing and research by students and historians. Peace Tree Garden Thanks primarily to Heather and Alf Wilford, a lot of work has been done on tidying up the garden area around the Peace Tree and planting additional shrubs to enhance the garden. With the receipt of the Anzac Grant it is planned that this area will become a place of reflection and where members of the Hall community can visit to remember the families of the district who contributed to WW1 and particularly Clyde Hollingsworth and the other men who fought for peace but did not return to their families after the war. Strategic Planning Alastair Crombie conducted a Strategic Planning process with the Museum volunteers. The process was undertaken to establish the forward direction of the Museum particularly over the next 12 months. As a result of a number of meetings

8 and discussions the various tasks associated with Museum activities was broken down into 3 main groups, Capacity Building, Collection Management and Public Access. Added to this was Museum Management to cover the day to day needs of the Museum. Co-ordinators for each of these groups have been nominated and together with the Honorary Curator, Treasurer and Secretary the Museum will be managed by a new Museum Co-ordination Group (MCG). As part of this process the name of the Museum was formally changed to the Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre. Donations and Loans Many items have been donated or loaned to the Museum during the year. I am very grateful to all those contributors as these items have enhanced the displays and added important items to the collection. Visitors The number of visitors to the Museum has grown in the last year, primarily due to the increasing number of group visits, including Probus, Goodwin Homes, Church groups, a respite care group, motoring clubs and pupils from various primary schools and a local Scout Group. The Museum also hosted a group from the Heart Foundation who complemented a walk on the Centenary Trail to One Tree Hill with a visit to the Museum and lunch. The History Teachers Association held one of their monthly meetings at the Museum followed by a walk around the various displays. There were representatives from the Museums sector and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This was followed up by a visit by a group from the Department of Veterans Affairs Commemorative Team who were very impressed with the Anzac display and undertook to promote the exhibition and the Museum on our website. Future of the Hall School Site A meeting was held on 23 March 2015 with the ACT Property Group to discuss the future of the school site. Last year the Hall Community voted in the majority to leave the school site as a community facility that would continue to house the Hall School Museum, the Mens Shed, the Pre-school, the Rotary Club of Hall and the Community Cottage for the benefit of the Hall and the wider ACT Community. Following the March meeting, representatives from the Village of Hall and District Progress Association (VHDPA) and the Rotary Club of Hall are preparing a further proposal to the ACT Government which will be discussed at the Association s AGM in August. It is hoped that a satisfactory resolution of the issue will be forthcoming by the end of the year. Future Plans for the Museum Assessment and recording of the large collection of Lyall Gillespie;

9 Continued promotion of the Museum to schools; Continued work on accessioning the collection; Encouragement of students and historians to utilise the Museum s research material; Continued alliances with appropriate Museum authorities and associations; Mount an exhibition in 2016 as part of the Canberra & Region Heritage Festival; Association with other Hall Community Groups I wish to acknowledge the continued support from the Village of Hall and District Progress Association (VHDPA), the Rotary Club of Hall and the Hall Mens Shed. Phil Robson Honorary Curator Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre 13 August 2015